2019 Digital Trends Applicable to Pharma

The trend is to talk about the trends, so here are some of our top digital trend that is going to have an impact in the pharma industry.

1. SEO

Change is inevitable, especially when it comes to SEO. There’s no doubt that the constant Google algorithm changes keep us guessing. For example, last year Google’s Core Search Update had a big impact on health and medical sites and mobile-first indexing started to roll out as Google started indexing sites based on the mobile version of their website. In 2019, mobile search will continue to dominate. This means that websites need to be not only mobile friendly and responsive but also have an exceptional mobile user experience.

Websites should also be optimized for user intent and the website content should help answer the user’s search query need and serve relevant content that falls in one of the following buckets: informational, navigational, transactional and comparison. Speaking of search queries, the Voice Search trend will continue this year as voice-assisted devices have become a part of people’s daily routine. Voice search encourages more conversational and natural type queries and has longer queries. To ensure your website is voice-search optimized, focus on long-tail keywords, full phrases and featured snippets.

2. SOCIAL

Facebook Is a Powerful Advertising Player in Healthcare space. If you do any advertising on any platform, you know that mobile matters, right? This is especially true for Facebook advertising as well. Mobile is a huge traffic diver, however, lacks in slower load speed, which in turn results in lower engagement. Facebook understand how important mobile-friendly experiences are and has transformed their Canvas ads into Facebook Instant Experiences. Instant Experiences are faster than mobile web pages and allow for the creation of a fast equivalent to a landing page that loads directly in Facebook. Instant experiences allow advertisers to include images, videos, product carousel and form fill-outs, and compatible with Pixel tracking (The Facebook pixel is automatically added, but you can also embed pixels for Google Analytics, Hotjar, etc.). Another advantage of Instant Experience is that they are easy to use–Facebook has launched five different templates, each designed for a different marketing objective. This is a win-win and can help any brand connect and engage with the potential audience.

3. DATA CARE ACT of 2018

Similarly, to Europe’s 2018 General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)., the US will pass legislation protecting the privacy and portability of consumers’ data. The Data Care Act was introduced in December 2018 and is designed to protect user information online and penalize companies that do not properly protect such data. The bill was introduced 7 months after the E.U. introduced (GDPR). While the Data Care Act does not go as far as GDPR, it does include several GDPR-like provisions.

Health data will be covered by the Data Care Act in three categories: Health data related to the provision of medical services related to the physical and mental health of an individual; Health data processed in relation to the provision of health and wellness services; and health data that is derived from medical tests, including genetic and biological samples. The bill will be defined and enforced by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and will have the authority to further define the types of information classed as health data.

Overall, 2019 is going to bring some big strategy changes when it comes to SEO. Content creation needs to be more intentional and optimization will need constant updates. But that’s the fun of SEO, it’s constantly changing, which keeps things interesting!